Hull FC confirm Harvey Barron injury blow with major Herman Ese’ese return update

Hull FC have confirmed winger Harvey Barron will miss the next month of action after the ankle injury suffered against York – while Herman Ese’ese is closing in on a return to full training.

Barron left the field in Hull’s narrow loss to the Knights with an ankle problem, and subsequent scans have shown damage that will mean he will miss the next four weeks for the Black and Whites.

He joins a growing and near-unprecedented early-season injury list for John Cartwright’s side. Cartwright’s son, Jed, is expected to miss the next three months having suffered a hamstring tear, while Joe Batchelor will miss another four weeks with a calf tear.

And key winger Barron is now on the injured list with his ankle problem.

However, there is some slight good news for Hull – with star prop Ese’ese progressing well after rupturing his Achilles at the end of last season.

He has missed the start of the 2026 season but a return is now beginning to come into view, after Hull confirmed the prop is expected to rejoin full training with the squad at the end of next month. That would indicate a possible return to action in May, handing Hull a major mid-season boost.

Hull have also confirmed both Will Pryce and Joe Ward have had surgeries on their respective ACL injuries – which will rule them both out for the rest of the 2026 campaign.

Youngsters Ryan Westerman and Roman Dawson are close to being available for selection after ankle and knee injuries respectively kept them sidelined in the early stages of the new season.

Hull are actively in the market looking for at least new recruit to offset the loss of Pryce, the Black and Whites’ first-choice fullback who left the field with a knee injury against Wigan that ultimately proved to be season-ending.